King James I English Bible History King James I With the death of Queen Elizabeth I, Prince James VI of Scotland became King James I of England. His name has become synonymous with the famous printing of the Bible that bears his name, the “King James Bible” of 1611 AD . He was one of the most intelligent Kings to reign over England, but his personal life made him the most controversial since his relative, King Henry VIII. James VI of Scotland and James I of England James VI of Scotland (June 19, 1566 - March 27, 1625, reigned July 24, 1567 - March 27, 1625) became James I of England and Ireland (reigned March 24, 1603-March 27, 1625) and was the first king of both England and Scotland. He also held the title of King of France, as had all his predecessors in the English throne since October 21, 1422, although by his time the title didn't come with an active claim of this throne.

James succeeded Elizabeth I as the closest living relative of the unmarried childless English monarch, through his descent from one of Henry VIII's sisters. King James Crowned at the Age of One Prince James became King of Scotland on July 24, 1567, at the age of 13 months, after his mother Mary, Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate. Mary fled to England, where she was imprisoned for the next 19 years. His father, Lord Darnley, had died in mysterious circumstances shortly after James was born. James was formally crowned at the Church of the Holy Rood, Stirling on July 29, 1567. In accordance to the religious atmosphere of the time, he was brought up as a Scottish Presbyterian, though his mother had been a Roman Catholic. King James – from Scotland to England James inherited the throne of England after the death of his mother's cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. James was never a very popular monarch among the people of England. He laid much of the groundwork that would eventually lead to the beheading of his heir Charles I during the English Civil War, but because of his political skills, his rule was relatively stable.

James married Anne of Denmark by proxy on August 20, 1589, and in person on November 23, 1589 and again in person in January 21, 1590. They had eight children, of whom only three lived beyond infancy: Henry, Prince of Wales- (February 19, 1594 - November 6, 1612), Elizabeth Stuart - (August 19, 1596 - February 13, 1662), and King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland - (November 19, 1600 - January 30, 1649). James dissolved the English Parliament on February 8, 1622, following a dispute involving parliamentary criticisms of a marriage proposed by James, of his son Charles to Princess Maria Anna of Spain. King James was quoted as saying, "Monarchy is the greatest thing on earth. Kings are rightly called gods since just like God they have power of life and death over all their subjects in all things. They are accountable to God only ...

so it is a crime for anyone to argue about what a king can do." King James is considered to have been one of the most intellectual and learned individuals ever to sit on any English or Scottish throne. He is primarily remembered for authorizing the production of the King James Version of the Bible, the highly popular English translation from Greek and Hebrew, which remains the most printed book in the history of the world, with over one billion copies in print. King James had nothing to do with the translating the Bible, he merely authorized it and provided financing for its production. Beyond that, however, James wrote several books himself. 'Queen James' One area of the life of King James that for many years remained clouded in controversy was allegations that James was homosexual. As James did father several children by Anne of Denmark, it is actually more accurate to say that he was allegedly a bi-sexual. While his close relationships with a number of men were noted, earlier historians questioned their sexual nature, however, few modern historians cast any doubt on the King's bisexuality and the fact that his sexuality and choice of male partners both as King of Scotland then later in London as King of England were the subject of gossip from the city taverns to the Privy Council.

His relationship as a teenager with fellow teenager Esmé Stuart, Earl of Lennox was criticized by Scottish Church leaders, who were part of a conspiracy to keep the young King and the young French courtier apart, as the relationship was improper to say the least. Lennox, facing threats of death, was forced to leave Scotland. In the 1580s, King James openly kissed Francis Stewart Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. Contemporary sources clearly hinted their relationship was a sexual one. When James inherited the English throne from Queen Elizabeth I in 1603, it was openly joked of the new English monarch in London that “Elizabeth was King: now James is Queen!” If there is still any doubt, it should be noted that George Villiers, also held an intimate relationship with King James, about which King James himself was quite open. King James called Villiers his “wife” and called himself Villiers' “husband”! King James died in 1625 of gout and senility. He is buried in the Henry VII chapel in Westminster Abbey, with one of his favorite male suitors on his right, and another on his left.

King James I | Britroyals Born: June 19, 1566 at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland Parents: Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley Relation to Elizabeth II: 9th great-grandfather House of: Stuart Ascended to the throne: March 24, 1603 aged 36 years Crowned: July 25, 1603 at Westminster Abbey, also as James VI of Scotland at Stirling Castle on July 29, 1567 Married: Anne, Daughter of Frederick II of Denmark and Norway Children: Three sons and five daughters, of whom three survived infancy; Henry, Elizabeth and Charles Died: March 27, 1625 at Theobalds Park, Hertfordshire, aged 58 years, 9 months, and 7 days Buried at: Westminster Reigned for: 22 years, and 3 days, King of Scotland for 57 years 1567-1625 Succeeded by: his son Charles James was the son of Mary Queen of Scots and her second husband Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley.

He was descended through the Scottish kings from Robert the Bruce, and the English Tudors through his great grandmother Margaret Tudor sister of Henry VIII. His parent�s marriage was short-lived and Darnley was found murdered 8 months after James was born in June 1566. His mother married again, but in 1567 was forced to renounce the throne of Scotland in favour of her infant son. James became King James VI of Scotland aged 13 months in July 1567, and was crowned at Stirling. Mary fled to England where she was eventually executed following Catholic plots against Elizabeth I in 1587. His childhood and adolescence were unhappy, abnormal, and precarious; he had various guardians, whose treatment of him differed widely. His education, although thorough, was weighted with strong Presbyterian and Calvinist political doctrine, and his character � highly intelligent and sensitive, but also fundamentally shallow, vain, and exhibitionist � reacted violently to this. He also sought solace with extravagant and unsavoury male favourites who, in later years, were to have a damaging effect on his prestige and state affairs. A suitable Queen was found for him in Anne of Denmark and they were married in 1589.

As King of Scotland, he curbed the power of the nobility, although his attempts to limit the authority of the Kirk (Church of Scotland) were less successful. When Elizabeth I of England died in 1603 unmarried, James moved to London and was crowned King James I of England the first of the Stuart Kings of the combined crowns of England and Scotland. The English courtiers were wary of his Scottish favourites, affairs with male courtiers and uncouth ways. He was however a supporter of literature and arts. William Shakespeare was among the �Kings Men� troupe of actors who performed plays for their patron James. He commissioned the King James Authorized Version of the Bible, published in 1611, which remains one of the most important English translations of the Bible. He initially acted mainly upon the advice of Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, but on Salisbury�s death all restraint vanished. His religious policy consisted of asserting the supreme authority and divine right of the crown and suppressing both Puritans and Catholics who objected. Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow up Parliament in 1605 produced an anti-Catholic reaction, which gave James a temporary popularity which soon dissipated.

His foreign policy aimed primarily at achieving closer relations with Spain was not liked by Parliament who saw Spain as the Old Catholic enemy of the Armada and competitor for world trade. During his reign the East India Company expanded trade bringing spices from the East, and Jamestown was founded in Virginia. His willingness to compromise politically, even while continuing to talk in terms of absolutism, largely accounts for the superficial stability of his reign. However, the effects of many of his actions were long term, becoming fully obvious only after his death. James and Anne had 8 children only three of whom survived infancy. Their eldest son Henry died aged 18 of typhoid, and their 2nd son Charles became King Charles I. The marriage of their daughter Elizabeth to Frederic V, Elector Palatine and King of Bohemia, was to result in the eventual Hanoverian succession to the British throne. King James I's Signature Quotes: What God hath conjoined let no man separate.

I am the husband and the whole isle is my lawful wife' - James VI of Scotland who also became James I of England on the union of the crowns of Scotland and England, 1603 �[Smoking is] hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, and dangerous to the lungs.� � King James I �I can make a lord, but only God can make a gentleman� � King James I �God�s wounds! I will pull down my breeches and they shall see my arse!� � King James I (on being told that his subjects wanted to see his face) �Kings are justly called gods for they exercise a manner or resemblance of divine power upon earth� � King James I Timeline for King James I Year James I - History Learning Site History Learning Site historylearningsite.co.uk . The History Learning Site , 17 Mar 2015. 16 Aug 2016. James I succeeded the last Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I, in 1603. James at the time of Elizabeth’s death was king of Scotland. He was also the nearest blood relative to Elizabeth.

James was a Stuart – so Tudor England died on March 24th 1603 while the accession of James ushered in the era of the Stuarts. In Scotland, James never had full control of the country. Scotland was seen as ungovernable in parts – governed solely by the clans. James was proclaimed king of Scotland in 1567 – aged 1 – after the enforced abdication of his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots. His education was Puritan based and he was pushed very hard by his teachers George Buchanan and Peter Young. However, James became fluent in Latin and French and competent in Italian. In his early years, James developed a great desire for knowledge but it also gave him an over inflated idea as to his own worth as an academic. He believed that he was capable of out-arguing almost anyone. It was a character defect that was to bring him into conflict with the English Parliament and it was his inability to accept that others might be right that was to provoke many strong reactions in London. As a youth James was surrounded by men who, in an attempt to boost their influence, tried to flatter him at every opportunity.

It was a tactic that Robert Carr and George Villiers were to use with great success after James was made king of England. He married Anne of Denmark in 1589. She proved to be a shallow and frivolous person and James found respite from her by surrounding himself with young men. James was the great-grandson of Margaret, the sister of Henry VIII. On April 5th, 1603, James started his journey south. Accompanied by a host of advisors and servants, James crossed the border into England. Once he got to York, he wrote to the English Privy Council requesting money. Despite being king of Scotland, James was not a wealthy man by English standards. The need for money was to be a dominating factor in his reign as James I of England. James made a triumphant entry into London.

Large numbers of the nobility had travelled to London to witness the event and James was later to write: “The people of all sorts rode and ran, nay, rather flew to meet me, their eyes flaming nothing but sparkles of affection, their mouths and tongues uttering nothing but sounds of joy, their hands, feet, and all the rest of their members in their gestures discovering a passionate longing and earnestness to meet and embrace their new sovereign." The English Privy Council was keen to make a positive start with their new king. The last few years of Elizabeth’s reign had seen her popularity fall as her unpredictability had increased. The Privy Councillors saw their new king as a fresh start. When both parties met for the first time, the Councillors were impressed with the king’s sharp brain and his aptitude for business. They were equally impressed by his ability to make a quick decision – whether it was right or wrong – after suffering from years of Elizabeth’s procrastination, including ironically whether the mother of James, Mary, Queen of Scots, should be executed or not. The Privy Council also took to his informality and sense of humour, which some noted did, on occasions, border on obscene.

James became king of England aged 37. At the English court, his appearance was a source of comment, though not criticism. He was tall and broad shouldered. Yet he had thin spindly legs. The formality of a banquet held by Elizabeth was somewhat undermined in the era of James by his eating habits that to some English courtiers bordered on the comical. “(His tongue) was too large for his mouth, which ever made him speak full of mouth, and made him drink very uncomely, as if eating his drink, which came out into the cup of each side of his mouth." However, after the severity of court life in the latter years of Elizabeth’s reign, there was a sense that James was a breath of fresh air. At dinner he could be vulgar or lead with jokes that suitably entertained those there. He entered into philosophical dialogue with church figures at these dinners – though he usually ended his thoughts with some comment that bordered on blasphemous. However, by general consent, James was never drunk at these gatherings. It was just his way.

When a meeting of senior church figures convened at Hampton Court in 1604, one reformer called Reynolds voiced his objection to the words “with my body I thee worship" being in the wedding service. James replied “Many a man speaks of Robin Hood who never shot in his bow." In a session with Presbyterian ministers, James shouted at them, “I give not a turd for your preaching." Courtiers in London were certainly not used to his way of behaving. Nor were foreign dignitaries. The French ambassador to London remarked, “Where he (James) wishes to assume the language of a king, his tone is that of a tyrant, and when he condescends he is vulgar." The public figure of James masked a penetrating mind and he was very aware of the dignity of kingship and sense of duty. In later years, he was to admit that some of his public statements had made him look a fool – such as his Speech from the Throne to Parliament in 1621 – though that was never his intention. James was a fervent believer in the Divine Right of Kings. He had a high opinion as to his academic ability. He also held in high regard his ability to be a king.

In Scotland, he had faced a lawless society where many lords simply ruled as they wished in their own area. By the time of his departure for London in 1603, James had done a great deal to tame the Scottish nobility and this had greatly boosted his own belief in his ability to be king. He described himself as “an old experienced king, needing no lessons." While in Scotland, James had done a great deal of reading about statecraft. He had also produced a book in 1603 titled “The True Law of Free Monarchies". The theories in this book were not original but they did state with extreme clarity his belief that kings had absolute legal sovereignty within their state, that a king had absolute freedom from executive action and that a king’s sole responsibility was to God. The experiences James had as king of Scotland were bound to have a knock-on effect in London. James held the Scottish nobility in disdain. It had for years attempted to dilute his authority and, as important, had never taken James seriously.

As a result, when James arrived in London, he was keen to cement his relationship with England’s senior nobility – so that they would be grateful to the new king for their position in English society and work for him. Men such as Robert Cecil and Thomas Sackville were brought into the court of James, while the Howard’s found that their former status in society was given a major boost with the king’s support. However, by taking the likes of Cecil and Sackville out of the Commons, James lost two astute political managers who knew how to operate in the Commons. This mistake first showed itself when James had his first session with Parliament in 1604. Here he ended up arguing with the Commons over the relatively minor topic of the Buckinghamshire Election. In what was to be a familiar approach, James adopted a very weak argument with regards to this case, but decided to stick with it rather than appear weak. At least he proved to be decisive in that once he adopted his argument he kept to it. But such an approach simply meant that at some stage he would have to give in – and so it happened with this first ‘clash’ with Parliament.

Whether having the likes of Cecil and Sackville within the Commons to manage his support would have led to a different outcome is open to speculation. That the reign of James did not descend into disunity after this initial spat with Parliament is down to the likes of Robert Cecil who brought a great degree of administrative skill to the government of James. Created the Earl of Salisbury in 1605, Cecil may have had his enemies but the man who was nicknamed ‘the fox’ was a shrewd operator. Richard Bancroft was another of the men who James relied on to smooth over religious issues. At a time when people questioned whether James was too soft on Catholics and religion was still a contentious issue, Bancroft was adept at sorting out problems. In 1604, when religious dignitaries met in conference at Hampton Court, the only thing to come out of it was the decision to retranslate the Bible – which became the authorised version of 1611. Typically, James had to get involved.

The man who considered himself to be an academic, described the Geneva Bible as “very partial, untrue, seditious, and savouring too much of dangerous and traitorous conceits." The 1605 Gunpowder Plot seemingly solved the Catholic issue. James had an upbringing that was fraught with danger. In 1582 as king of Scotland he had been kidnapped by Scottish nobles and only escaped in the following year. The one great fear of his life was a violent death. The Gunpowder Plot played straight into this fear. It was James who signed an order that the captured conspirators should endure the minor tortures first and then that the torturers should move onto the more extreme to extract a confession. The public execution of those conspirators who were caught was a stern reminder of what would happen to anyone else foolish enough to involve themselves with treason. However, there was no large-scale hunting down of Catholics in England – possibly because the retribution against the conspirators had been so violent – and public – that it drove them even further underground. Also the leading Jesuit in England at this time, Henry Garnet, had been critical of Spain for signing a peace treaty with England in 1604.

It far better suited Catholic Spain to maintain a peace with England than continue to support Garnet in England. The attempt on the life of James – and Parliament in general – helped to build a more positive relationship between the two. James had publicly stated that if the explosion had succeeded, he would have died with the “most honourable and best company and in that most honourable and fittest place for a king to be in." The 1606 Parliamentary session voted James three subsidies in direct taxation. But this seemingly very positive relationship lulled James into a false sense of security. With this new relationship with Parliament and their seeming wish to grant subsidies, James became more and more extravagant. The splendour of Whitehall, when compared to the royal palace at Holyrood, convinced James that he was wealthy or that he had access to money from a generous Parliament. He became a lavish spender – his coronation cost £20,591. This was mirrored by his wife, Anne of Denmark. She developed a love of fine clothes and expensive jewels. James also believed that his three children – two boys and a girl – should also live in a manner befitting princes and a princess. James also gave away lavish gifts.

One courtier who had worked under Elizabeth I, Sir Dudley Carleton, claimed that James gave away more in one year than Elizabeth had done in the whole of her 45-year reign. It is generally considered that James had great difficulty with understanding the most basic of fiscal responsibility. He would happily give away £100 without any thought if it was not in his possession, but he would keep a firm grip on just £1 if it was actually in his hand. To compensate for any requirement of money, James, like Elizabeth, sold off Crown Lands. This became such a problem that in 1604 and 1609, Cecil persuaded James to pass on the more valuable Crown properties to be run by the Privy Council. To raise money James sold government offices and positions. This had been a common practice in bygone monarchies – but James took it to an extreme in his search for money. By selling office titles, he did not consider the ability and worth of the man who bought the office – merely his income and ability to pay. Therefore, in the eyes of men who had received an office in reward for their work for their country, James was seriously devaluing their work and achievement.

This was to cause resentment – but it also brought into government men with money but possibly not the ability to fulfil to the full the work that the purchased office required. What caused the most resentment was when Scottish favourites gained a title. The most notorious was when Robert Carr of Ferniehurst was knighted in 1607 and then made Viscount Rochester in 1611. Carr was a coarse man who brought discredit on the English court. James’ public display of affection for Carr and others did not go down well at court. “The king’s kissing them after so lascivious a mode in public, and upon the theatre, as it were, of the world, prompted many to imagine some things done in the retiring house that exceed my expressions no less than they do my experience." (Sir Anthony Weldon) While such behaviour caused concern at court, it does seem that the English public (even if they knew about such behaviour) was less concerned. One time consuming passion of James was hunting. James had become keen on hunting in his youth but now as King of England, it became almost an obsession. The bulk of his year was oriented around hunting. If James had a good day’s hunt, his mood in the evening was buoyant.

If the day had not gone well, he would retire to his room. This made communication with his ministers very difficult as only the most favoured had access to James when he had finished a hunt. James had a strange relationship with the English. As he proceeded south after the death of Elizabeth, he was greeted with fervour. After the Gunpowder Plot , the vast bulk of the English people were sympathetic to him. Yet after this, he held them at an arm’s length – and further if he had the chance. James failed to understand that the people of England wanted to see their king. This was probably a throwback to his days in Scotland when many in the public domain could be seen as an enemy. On one occasion when told by a courtier that the public wanted to see him, James replied “God’s wounds! I will pull down my breeches and they shall see my arse!" From the earliest years of his accession, James made mistakes.

He tried to personalise politics by promoting to positions of authority his favourites; he believed that he, as an academic, had a correct answer to all problems; his behaviour, amusing at first and tolerated, eventually brought the royal court into disrepute; his closest friends were also greatly suspect for a conservative court and his dilution of positions of rank also caused friction. Cecil did all he could to make the Crown solvent. He particularly targeted Crown lands where he increased the rent raised by these ands by two or three times. This hit the middle nobility more than others at a time when inflation was damaging their financial standing in the community. They blamed Cecil for their plight and in 1610; Parliament was dissolved with MP’s and Cecil at loggerheads. Cecil’s solution to the king’s financial situation was the Great Contract of 1610. This would have surrendered the feudal rights of James in return for a guaranteed annual income. It did not come into being in Cecil’s lifetime – in fact, probably the only constructive solution to the king’s financial situation only came into being in 1661 such was the distance that had developed between the ministers of James and the men in the Commons.

The historian Dr J P Kenyon claims that the Crown lost control of Parliament in 1610 and never regained control of it. In November 1610, James summoned some MP’s to “ask of them some questions." The MP’s used the opportunity to freely criticise his Scottish favourites. Greatly angered by this, James prorogued Parliament – despite the protests of the loyal Cecil. In January 1611, James did the same. It was not an approach that was likely to endear him to Members of Parliament. Then between 1611 and 1612, James faced three major problems. Richard Bancroft, the man who James had used to sort out religious issues, died. Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, died in May 1612. Cecil had been a loyal servant to the Crown and had a vast amount of experience that simply could not be replaced. Cecil had not trained a successor. In November 1612, Henry, Prince of Wales, suddenly died. Henry was well respected by many. He was sober, bluff, and manly and had a physical presence that his father did not.

Many were willing to tolerate James knowing that the Crown would be passed on to Henry. With his death, the Crown would pass on to Charles. He was an unknown quantity as Henry had done a great deal to outshine his younger brother in London. The death of Cecil gave James the chance to show that he was a decisive and strong king and that he did not need anyone else to support him. Unfortunately, this was not the case. James, so it was said, had many decent ideas – but was simply too lazy to carry them out. He also did all he could to stop the rise of another Cecil-type figure as such a person would have, in the mind of James, diluted the authority of the king. Probably the most able man at court was Francis Bacon. But Cecil had done all in his power to slow down the rise of Bacon as he viewed him as a rival for power. With his opinion suitably slanted away from Bacon (though he became Attorney-General in 1613), James vested power in the Howard’s. The Howard’s were a family used to being close to royalty. The family head was Henry, the Earl of Northampton.

He was the brother of Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, who was executed for treason in 1572 as a result of a conspiracy with Mary, Queen of Scots. One of Henry’s closest supporters was Thomas, Earl of Suffolk – the son of Thomas, Duke of Norfolk. A grandson, Thomas, Earl of Arundel, was also a keen supporter of Henry. The influence of the Howard’s was strengthened when Frances, daughter of Thomas, Earl of Suffolk, married Robert Carr – the favourite of James. Frances was married to the Earl of Essex. James took a great interest in the annulment proceedings (the marriage ended because of the impotency of the Earl of Essex) and all but presided over the marriage arrangements. The wedding was in September 1613 and all accounts of it describe its magnificence. In November 1613, Carr became the Earl of Somerset. The marriage clearly gave the Howard’s the ear of the king’s favourite. The Howard’s were a Catholic family – or at the least sympathetic to Catholicism. They urged James to get Charles to marry the daughter of Philip III, king of Spain, with the ultimate aim being the reconciling of the English church to Rome.

The idea of a marriage between his son to the daughter of Philip of Spain intrigued James. A union between Spain and England had advantages. James also saw it as a way of boosting his standing in Europe. In his mind, he had come from a minor Scottish royal family. To marry his daughter into one of the premier families of Europe would greatly lift his status in Europe. Some also believe that James had a vision of spear-heading a movement that would unite Protestants and Catholics and take the chaos out of Europe. The death of Henry IV of France in 1610, had taken from Europe the only major royal figure. James hoped to fill this void. Ironically, at the time, the competition for this role was hardly major – Rudolf II in Germany was not an awe-inspiring character; Philip III of Spain lacked any half-decent reputation and Louis XIII of France was too young to have gathered any form of good reputation. However, James was not a successful statesman. His upbringing had led to him developing a hatred of war and any foreign policy that might result in war was quickly discarded.

“He naturally loved not the sight of a soldier, nor any violent man." Though James wanted to avoid any foreign policy that might lead to conflict, he did not allow anyone else to formulate policy. He sort the advice of many but failed to act on any of this advice. This infuriated all and sundry and resulted in a muddled foreign policy. Many suspected that a potential marriage between the future king of England and the king of Spain’s daughter was the start of a move to restore Catholicism to England. In fact, they failed to recognise that James was a Protestant and had made his Protestant credentials clear. The rumours that circulated in Parliament were nebulous in the extreme. However, in 1614, the rumour of a royal marriage to Spain combined with a rumour that Catholics had interfered with elections held in that year and had, therefore, undermined Parliament. What had happened is that some local elections held in 1614 had been influenced by the Howard’s. This was certainly not unusual in that era (and beyond) but it had been interpreted by others that Catholics had been at work to undermine the system!

The so-called ‘Addled Parliament’ of 1614 lasted for two months and was dissolved when no-one could satisfy anyone else that it had been fairly elected. James said “I am surprised that my ancestors should have permitted such an institution to come into existence." The death of Henry, Earl of Northampton, in 1614 helped to pacify the situation as the Howard’s could not take advantage of the situation whereby the king was without his parliament. Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset, had been the favourite of James since his accession in 1603. In 1614, James found a new favourite – George Villiers. James first met Villiers at Apethorpe in 1614. James was forty-seven.

“He was of middle stature, more corpulent through his clothes than his body, yet fat enough, his clothes ever being made large and easy, the doublets quilted for stiletto proof, his breeches in pleats and full stuffed……his eye was large, ever rolling after any stranger that came into his presence, in so much as many for shame have left the room, as being out of countenance….his legs were very weak….and that weakness made him ever leaning on other men’s shoulders; his walk was ever circular, his fingers ever in that walk fiddling about his codpiece." Villiers was twenty-two when he first met James. He was tall, handsome, muscular and very ambitious. He was from a minor noble family from Leicestershire and had spent time in France learning how to dance, duel and ride. With the decline in the influence of Somerset (after the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury), the rise of Villiers was fast. In 1616, Villiers was appointed Master of the Horse, made a Knight of the Garter and created Viscount Villiers.

In 1617, he became Earl of Buckingham and in 1619, James made him a Marquess. The speed of the fall of Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset, was matched by the speedy rise of George Villiers. James referred to him as “my sweetheart", “My sweet child and wife" and “my only sweet and dear child". In response to this Buckingham flattered the king at every opportunity. Buckingham’s rise to authority could only be at the expense of the Howard’s. In 1618, James acquired a new finance minister, Sir Lionel Cranfield. He had risen up from poverty to become a wealthy merchant financier. Cranfield was ostentatious with his wealth, vulgar at court – but he had an excellent financial mind. From 1618 to 1621, Cranfield did something that even Robert Cecil had failed to do – reduce the royal domestic expenditure. With Buckingham, Cranfield formed a formidable duo. It was Cranfield who investigated Suffolk which led to his conviction for corruption. In 1619, Cranfield also investigated Lord Nottingham, head of the Admiralty, who was dismissed for incompetence.

Buckingham was appointed Lord High Admiral while Cranfield became Master of the Wardrobe, Master of the Court of Wards and a Commissioners of the Treasury. Foreign policy under James rested almost entirely on one simple formula – could it be afforded? Hence when the Thirty Years War started in 1618, England did nothing despite the religious issue being a prominent one in Bohemia. In fact from 1618 to his death in 1625, the English input into the Thirty Years War was minimal. There are probably several other reasons for this other than an inability to finance such a venture. Bohemia and the issues surrounding the Habsburgs seemed a long way off and unlikely to affect England. Also James received little advice from Buckingham on what to do, so he set about formulating foreign policy himself. As James was loathed to involve himself in hard work, this meant that any development of foreign policy was bound to flounder. In his last few years James contented himself by playing with Buckingham’s children. He was now feeble in body – though not necessarily in mind.

Realising the power that impeachment gave to the Commons, he warned his son and Buckingham that it would be a rod with which both could be beaten – Buckingham might have to face up to impeachment while Charles could see those who supported him impeached. In 1624, James even had arguments with Buckingham over war with Spain – but ‘Steenie’ always got his way. James died on March 27th, 1625, at his favourite hunting lodge – Theobalds in Essex. His funeral was described as magnificent, confused and disorderly. BBC - History - James I and VI z James I of England and VI of Scotland © James was king of Scotland until 1603, when he became the first Stuart king of England as well, creating the kingdom of Great Britain. James was born on 19 June 1566 in Edinburgh Castle. His mother was Mary, Queen of Scots and his father her second husband, Lord Darnley. Darnley was murdered in February 1567. In July Mary was forced to abdicate in favour of her infant son. James's tutor, the historian and poet George Buchanan, was a positive influence and James was a capable scholar.

A succession of regents ruled the kingdom until 1576, when James became nominal ruler, although he did not actually take control until 1581. He proved to be a shrewd ruler who effectively controlled the various religious and political factions in Scotland. In 1586, James and Elizabeth I became allies under the Treaty of Berwick. When his mother was executed by Elizabeth the following year, James did not protest too vociferously - he hoped to be named as Elizabeth's successor. In 1589, James married Anne of Denmark. Three of their seven children survived into adulthood. In March 1603, Elizabeth died and James became king of England and Ireland in a remarkably smooth transition of power. After 1603 he only visited Scotland once, in 1617. One of James's great contributions to England was the Authorised King James's Version of the bible (1611) which was to become the standard text for more than 250 years. But he disappointed the Puritans who hoped he would introduce some of the more radical religious ideas of the Scottish church, and the Catholics, who anticipated more lenient treatment.

In 1605, a Catholic plot to blow up king and parliament was uncovered. James's firm belief in the divine right of kings, and constant need for money, also brought him into conflict repeatedly with parliament. Abroad, James attempted to encourage European peace. In 1604, he ended the long-running war with Spain and tried to arrange a marriage between his son and the Spanish Infanta. He married his daughter Elizabeth to the elector of the palatinate, Frederick, who was the leader of the German Protestants. James's eldest son Henry died in 1612 and his wife Anne in 1619. James himself died on 27 March 1625 and was succeeded by his second son, Charles King James I: Biography of King James I Basilicon Doron THE KING UNITES THE ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH CROWNS. King James' great aspiration to be the first King of both Scotland and England was realized in 1603 upon the death of Queen Elizabeth. When he ascended to the English throne that year he had already been king of Scotland for 36 years. He was now known as King James VI of Scotland & I of England.

THE KING HAD MANY ENEMIES. Roman Catholics attempted to assassinate King James in 1605 in what is known as the Gunpowder Plot. In the plot, Guy Fawkes and other Catholics designed to blow up, via gunpowder, the king and the entire British Parliament. As related in King James' Workes, the conspiracy was miraculously discovered. According to King James in his treatise entitled, "A Catalogue of the Lyes of Tortvs, Together With A Briefe Confutation of Them" (Workes page 340) it was not any "just occasion of despaire giuen [given] to the Powder-Traitours...but the instructions which they had from the Iesuits [Jesuits], that caused them to attempt this bloody designe: See the Premonition, pag. 291 & 335. and the booke intituled, The proceedings against the late Traitours." This failed attempt to murder King James is still remembered each year in England on November 5 and is known as Guy Fawkes Night.

Excerpt from our index page-- A look at the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 can direct the attention as to what has been happening in the earth. (During the Gunpowder Plot, Roman Catholics tried to kill King James, his wife, his son, and the entire British Parliament. (According to King James, Roman Catholic clergy (specifically Jesuits) were the chief conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot (see Remonstrance for the right of Kings ( Workes , p. 381). The Gunpowder Plot is an example of classic Roman Catholic recusancy. This link puts the Gunpowder Plot in historical perspective and addresses some of what happened after the Plot unto current times.) It includes a link to information on the "common good" which is being spoken about these days.) King James was an evangelist of the true gospel, which automatically made him an enemy of Rome. He identified the pope as antichrist . King James strongly delineated the errors of Roman superstition and spurned them, yet he treated Roman Catholic subjects fairly. Catholic ambassador Nicolo Molin said this of King James: "He is a Protestant...the King tries to extend his Protestant religion to the whole island.

The King is a bitter enemy of our religion. He frequently speaks of it in terms of contempt. He is all the harsher because of this last conspiracy against his life...He understood that the Jesuits had a hand in it." As a Scotsman ruling over the English, the King endured much racism and slander--especially from the once powerful English Lords and Ladies who he replaced with his Scottish countrymen. Unfortunately, many of today's historians look to the writings of hostile sources such as Sir Anthony Weldon and Francis Osborne as accurate descriptions of the king. One of the king's detractors, Sir Anthony Weldon, was knighted by King James but was subsequently dismissed after King James found racist writings by Weldon about the King's native Scotland (e.g., "A Perfect Description of the People and Country of Scotland"). Many historians today quote Weldon and other hostile sources as they attack the character and person of King James, but a rumor does not make a man guilty of anything--even if that rumor is spread amongst "scholars". King James' enemies were at work while he was still alive.

The king wrote of his enemies: "They quarrel me (not for any evil or vice in me) but because I was a king, which they thought the highest evil, and because they were ashamed to profess this quarrel they were busy to look narrowly in all my actions, and I warrant you a moat in my eye, yes a false report was matter enough for them to work upon." --James I, Basilicon Doron Notwithstanding the calumniations of his detractors, King James the VI of Scotland and I of England was a highly successful King. He kept his kingdom out of war and wielded effective authority over the more far-flung areas of the realm where there had been troubles historically. There was peace during his reign--both with his subjects and with foreign powers. His motto was "Beati Pacifici,"--Blessed are the peacemakers. KING JAMES AND THE DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS. The following is excerpted from "King James VI & I and the Divine Right of Kings"-- In the minds of many, the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings is closely (if not exclusively) associated with King James VI & I.

It is important to note, however, that the Divine Right of Kings (the idea that kings are accountable to God alone), neither began nor ended with King James Charles Stuart. If we go back 300 years before the birth of King James, we find this doctrine in the writings of Henry of Bratton, a.k.a. Bracton, an English judge who wrote on English jurisprudence. If we go forward 15 years after the king's death, we find the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings in the 1640 Decree of the Clergy on Regal Power (see, Sources of English Constitutional History by Stephenson & Marcham, 1972 ed., p. 491). Author Stephen Coston notes-- "With respect to the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings, this doctrine was the principal force restraining the authority of the Popes in James' time and thereafter...[W]ithout the doctrine of the Divine Right, Roman Catholicism would have dominated history well beyond its current employment in the Dark Ages. Furthermore, Divine Right made it possible for the Protestant Reformation in England to take place, mature and spread to the rest of the globe.

"I also suspect that many...individuals who depreciate His Majesty King James VI & I also criticize his belief in the Royal Prerogative. They like to praise Queen Elizabeth I, yet forget that she was as strong, if not more so, in her belief in the Royal Prerogative than was His Majesty King James VI & I: She wrote to her last Parliament in 1601: "The Royal Prerogative was not to be canvassed, nor disputed, nor examined, and did not even admit of any limitation, that it was in vain to attempt tying the Queen's hands by Laws and Statutes, since by means of her dispensing powers she could loosen herself at her pleasure." King James believed in the doctrine of the divine right of kings and the monarch's duty to reign according to God's law and the public good. While it is often mentioned that King James VI & I spoke about the divine right of kings, but many do not know why he did this. They may think that they know, but they have not read the king's workes for themselves--what they "know" is what somebody told them. They just accepted the interpretation of a professor, textbook author, etc. In actuality...

KING JAMES POWERFULLY DEFENDED THE RIGHT OF KINGS TO RULE THEIR OWN KINGDOMS. When examining James' Workes, one can find the king writing against the Roman Catholic doctrines that make king's vassals to the pope and even commend king-killing. King James wrote against Romish interference in kingdoms and the resulting Roman Catholic recusancy and murder and troubling of kings. These Roman Catholic practices predated King James by hundreds of years. The following is an excerpt of "King James I and the Defense of the Divine Right of Kings" -- By the times of King James, the Popes of Rome had been usurping the rights of kings for centuries on end, placing them under interdict and causing many troubles, e.g., releasing Catholics from obeying the laws of the land, AND TELLING THEM THAT IT IS A "MERITORIOUS" THING TO KILL A HERETICK KING. IN FACT, JESUITS AND ROMAN CATHOLICS TRIED TO KILL KING JAMES IN THE GUNPOWDER PLOT OF 1605. King James wrote forcefully about the Roman Catholic church's tendency to usurp power, kill kings, and disrupt kingdoms.

The following is excerpted from, "King James has a message that Rome does not want you to hear." THE FRUITS OF HIS LABOURS As a result of the king's writings, Catholics were converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. According to The Workes, in some countries, Roman Catholic books were burned. Kings across the land began to stand up and assert their right to rule their own kingdoms without papal interference. In this context, a new truth comes to light. King James' now-scorned defense of the divine right of kings was a loud, staunch, effective battering ram against long-standing papal power wielded over kings and kingdoms through Roman Catholic recusancy. ONE OF THE KING'S MOST FAMOUS SUBJECTS. King James lived during a pivotal time in history. He was a descendant of Henry the VIII, his mother was Mary Queen of Scots, his cousin was Elizabeth I (his predecessor), his physician Harvey discovered that the circulatory system is a closed system, he spent time with the famous astronomer Tycho Brahe, etc. As a lover of the theatre, King James became patron to the troop of one of his most famous subjects--William Shakespeare, the playwright.

Shakespeare's troop came to be known as the King's Men. Shakespeare and the King held a special relationship as they both loved literature. It is said Shakespeare wrote his famous play, "Macbeth" specifically for King James. FOUNDING MONARCH OF THE UNITED STATES. In 1607, colonists sent by the Virginia Company arrived in Virginia and named the place of their habitation "Jamestowne" in honor of their king. Jamestown went on to become the first permanent English settlement on the American mainland making King James VI & I founding monarch of the United States. Jamestown, established over a decade before the pilgrims landed in Massachusetts, is known today as "the place where America began". On a trip to JAMEStown, VA one can visit the sites of "JAMES Forte" "JAMES River" "JAMES City County" "JAMES Island", etc. Jamestown Settlement in Virginia has reconstructions of the ships that brought the first colonists over, as well as other reconstructions, artifiacts etc. It is located near historic Jamestown where the colonists actually lived. See this link for pictures of modern signs in Jamestown, Virginia.

Under James' reign, we have the first successful colonies planted on the American mainland--Virginia, Massachusetts , and Nova Scotia (Latin for New Scotland) in SE Canada. The King himself ordered, wrote and authorized the Evangelistic Grant Charter to settle the Colony of Virginia: "To make habitation...and to deduce a colony of sundry of our people into that part of America, commonly called Virginia...in propagating of Christian religion to such people as yet live in darkness...to bring a settled and quiet government." CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT. Not only was King James the first monarch to unite Scotland, England and Ireland into Great Britain (as he liked to call it), but he commanded the translation of the Authorized Version of 1611 of the Bible . It is also known as the Authorized King James Bible. King James gave his subjects (and ultimately the world) the greatest gift possible--the Bible--so that they could be saved and fed from the Word of God. In January of 1604, the King called the Hampton Court Conference in order to hear of things "pretended to be amiss" in the church. At this conference, Dr.

John Reynolds, a Puritan, requested of the King a new translation of the Bible because those that were allowed during the reigns of Henry the VIII and Edward the VI were corrupt. The King liked the idea and by July of 1604 the King had appointed 54 men to the translation committee . These men were not only the best linguists and scholars in the kingdom, but in the world. Much of their work on the King James Bible formed the basis for our linguistic studies of today. The translators were organized into six groups and met respectively at Westminster, Cambridge, and Oxford. This group of great scholars had qualifications such as have not been rivaled before or after them. They spent most of their lifetimes in the pursuit of God and knowledge. One translator, Dr. Lancelot Andrews, mastered at least 15 languages and by the time he was 6 years old, he had read the entire Bible in Hebrew. Others on the translation committee were just as qualified. Some wrote foreign language dictionaries and lexicons, they commonly debated in Greek, they translated and edited great works and wrote their own. These are but a few of their fantastic accomplishments.

They not only knew the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek biblical languages but also the related languages that shed light on them such as Arabic, Persian, Coptic, Syriac, Latin, Chaldee, Spanish, French, Italian, and Dutch. These men were not only world class scholars, they were Christians who lived holy lives as Deans and Presidents of major universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster. Some prayed 5 hours a day. Their translation work did not go without opposition. According to the translator's notes in the preface of the King James Bible, the Roman Catholic religion was dead set against translating the Bible into the common tongue. Popery proved to be one of the translators' chief enemies.

The translators wrote of the Roman Catholic institution-- "So much are they afraid of the light of the scripture, that they will not trust the people with it...Sure we are that not he that hath the good gold, that is afraid to bring it to the touchstone, but he that hath the counterfeit." In reading The Translators to the Reader and The Epistle Dedicatory found in the Authorized Version, we learn that King James himself stood as a wall and a bulwark protecting the work from that which would hinder it.

The following is excerpted from The Translators to the Reader found in earlier printing of the Authorized Version-- ¶ His Majesty's constancy, notwithstanding calumniation*, for the survey of the English translations This, and more to this purpose, his Majesty that now reigneth (and long and long may he reign, and his offspring for ever, Himself and children and children's children always!) knew full well, according to the singular wisdom given unto him by God, and the rare learning and experience that he hath attained unto; namely, That whosoever attempteth any thing for the publick, (especially if it appertain to religion, and to the opening and clearing of the word of God) the same setteth himself upon a stage to be glouted upon by every evil eye; yea, he casteth himself headlong upon pikes, to be gored by every sharp tongue. For he that meddleth with men's religion in any part meddleth with their custom, nay, with their freehold; and though they find no content in that which they have, yet they cannot abide to hear of altering.

Notwithstanding his royal heart was not daunted or discouraged for this or that colour, but stood resolute, As a statue immoveable, and an anvil not easy to be beaten into plates, as one saith; he knew who had chosen him to be a soldier, or rather a captain; and being assured that the course which he intended made much for the glory of God, and the building up of his Church, he would not suffer it to be broken off for whatsoever speeches or practices. It doth certainly belong unto kings, yea, it doth specially belong unto them, to have care of religion, yea, to know it aright, yea, to profess it zealously, yea, to promote it to the uttermost of their power. This is their glory before all nations which mean well, and this will bring unto them a far most excellent weight of glory in the day of the Lord Jesus. * CALUMNIATION, n. False accusation of a crime or offense, or a malicious and false representation of the words or actions of another, with a view to injure his good name. (ref. Webster's 1828) Despite the opposition of the Roman Catholic institution, the work was completed.

It was published in 1611 and became known as the Authorised Version of the Bible. This link commemorates the 400th year anniversary of the Authorized Version and includes much fascinating history in a concise, short format. In the years after its publication, the Authorized Version eclipsed all previous versions--not by force, the people simply chose it. Two hundred and fifty years after the Authorized Version was published, strange fire would appear. The first word of this strange fire was, "Revised" It was called the "Revised Standard Version." Today, one can find a plethora of unauthorized Bible versions available in the marketplace sometimes deleting verses, changing words, and espousing many strange doctrines. Purveyors of these unauthorized versions often assert that they are based on "older and better" Greek manuscripts--but Not all believe that those "older and better" manuscripts are authentic . The Authorized Version of the Bible is the precepts of a mighty nation --its history shows it to be the culmination work of nations and ages (the reader may wish to see our article, "What about the translations of the Bible that existed before the Authorized Version of 1611?

What is to be made of them?" ) The name of the Authorized Version states exactly what it is, the authorized version of the Bible. It is an historic document--has no successor and cannot be revised, it is historic. The correction of printing errors and the standardization of spelling did not constitute revisions, just minor edits. The Authorized Version is an historic document. It has no successors (notwithstanding the claims of some). It is itself, published in 1611. THE KING'S WRITINGS. King James wrote extensively on a variety of subjects. Fortunately, in 1616, the bishop of his chapel compiled many of the king's writings into one volume entitled, "The Workes of the Most High and Mightie Prince, Iames, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britaine, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. (in Jacobean typography, the letter "I" can represent "I" or "J". Iames = James) In reading The Workes, we find that although King James was a highly learned scholar and statesman, his writings are forthright, cogent, lively, interesting, unpretentious, and easy to read.

An excellent summary of these fascinating works can be found here . In The Workes, one finds that King James was a contender for the faith of Jesus Christ and cared about the spiritual well-being of his kingdom. He even wrote Christian meditations for his people and his court. His writings are still relevant today and are important sources for understanding the nature of law and government--and the times in which we live today. The King James Bible translators reference the king's writings in the Epistle Dedicatory of the King James Bible-- ...the zeal of Your Majesty toward the house of God doth not slack or go backward, but is more and more kindled, manifesting itself abroad in the farthest parts of Christendom, by writing in defence of the Truth, (which hath given such a blow unto that man of sin, as will not be healed,) and every day at home, by religious and learned discourse, by frequenting the house of God, by hearing the Word preached, by cherishing the Teachers thereof, by caring for the Church, as a most tender and loving nursing Father. This appears to be a reference to the king's writings in regards to the usurping tendencies of the Roman Catholic papacy, writings which set Europe aflame.

Maurus Lunn, member of the Benedictine order, said this about the ensuing controversy, "Fought by paper tigers, it was a paper war that penetrated every corner of Europe, the like of which will probably never be seen again...." Find a summary of the Workes here . PHYSICAL AILMENTS. Although King James had a life filled with accomplishments, he was a man acquainted with grief. He was a sickly man who had physical handicaps in his legs and a tongue that was too large for his mouth. As a result of his unsteady gait, the king had numerous falls, accidents and injuries. He suffered from crippling arthritis, abdominal colic, gout, inability to sleep, weak/spasmic limbs, nausea, frequent diarrhea, and kidney pain. Some believe that he may have had congenital diseases of the nervous system. Sometimes the pain was so great that the king became delirious. To add to his ill-health, the king suffered from depression from the loss of his beloved wife Queen Anne in 1619. She was preceded in death by their eldest son, Prince Henry in 1612. The King was no stranger to pain and sorrow.

The sun set on King James the great monarch on March 27, 1625 at Theobolds Park in Herts, England. He was 58 years old when he died and was buried at Westminster Abbey. Unlike many Scottish monarchs, King James died in his bed at peace with his subjects and foreign countries. He also passed royal power on, intact, to an adult son which was also quite unusual. Though he died almost 400 years long ago, the King's legacy, the King James Bible continues to flourish and to bring men, women, boys and girls to a life-saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Where the word of a king is, there is power. Ecclesiastes 8:4

Question: Who was the mother of English monarch James I?
Answer: Mary Queen of Scots